Microsoft In Your Business Is A Loaded Gun!

In any business, one must make decisions that limit risk.  Risk Assessement, in business is defined as the following: “The identification and quantification of the risk exposure resulting from a specific use of a technology or process, taking into account the possible negative impacts to the business as a result of deployment and a manner proposed and all the possible routes of expenditures, costs, revenues with resulting effects on the business ROI. Quantification ideally requires the establishment of technology or process deployment  in likely areas of solutions to a workforce or business process to expediently and consistently produce well known results.”

So, how does this apply to Microsoft and Linux?

Well, really, what is the ONE risk a business must consider to knock out the other from entering their infrastructure.  It is only one, and its a knock out punch!

1.Some same security!

 A Linux advocate might claim Linux is more secure than Microsoft.  And well, they may be right, but its a weak position for this argument.


2.Others may claim Microsoft has a better user interface and is well know by world business's and documents interchange better!

    Well, user interface for the workforce is important, as training for that word processor is not much of a requirement if a second grader is using word as diligent as their parents.  End result, its a nice addition to an argument, but alone, by itself its not but a paper tiger.

3.Of course, there is the minds that speak from the support of Microsoft and the stability of the company?

    You may believe this, and for most the most part, Microsoft is here to stay for a while. So, this has some validity, but it is not an item that forces the wallet open as its only premise.

The bottom line, the Microsoft killer has nothing to do with performance, integration, desktop or performance.   Furthermore, it's not about the development tools, or enterprise development environments.  No sir, all these issues are handled by Windows, and furthermore Linux handles these areas with equal competence.  The bottom line to any technology deployment is the consideration to implementation, maintenance and iterative development over the space and time.  Microsoft has their competent consultants  as does Linux.  So, lets just call it a tie.

So, what is it!!  It's the risk of lawsuits!!  Just last week Ballmer claimed to be locked and loaded for Linux patent infringements.  This is the risk assessment all business' should under go.  With Linux, this license lawsuit goes away. 

Here's a classic exmaple about Susie the Engineer and Mikey the Secretary with both similar issues.  See, when the day, comes that Susie or Mikey decide they REALLY need a copy of MS Word on the meeting room computer because its just easier to walk to the meeting with out lugging the laptop or writing to a pad.  It makes sense, ill thought, but sense and reality no matter, to simply take their desktop computer copy and installation meeting room computer. [SHhhhhhh!! NO one will know and we'll claim ignorance] Pounce!!  Microsoft is poised to sue, fine and collect damages.  Poor Susie and Mikey, they were just trying to get their jobs done and the budget did not afford the extra copy.  The work has to get done and so, out of complacency and pressure, alas, Susie and Mikey break the rules.  The company is exposed, risk assessment high, cost unknown, HIGH, but nontheless unknown.

With OpenOffice, Susie and Mikey can have copies of open office all over the world, on every laptop to every desktop.  Linux is Lawsuit free!!

This little example is simple, and can be applied and traversed over any sofware license.  It happens!  Use Remote Desktop, get it? Look at developer's IDE's, spreadsheet users, tools, text editors and a myriad of office tools and apps can be a cash cow for Microsoft and the modern day Pirate Hunters.  Microsoft actively works with Pirate Software Companies, its revenue.  Yhe Microsoft wants to be productive and generate money/revenues and lawsuits add to the bottom line no matter the cost.

Why expose the business to this pain?  First your warned, than your audited, than your fined, lead to court, it astonishing?  Review the Microsoft licensing and any other closed source license.  A good example is the Remote Desktop Licensing.  Its powerful, its way usable and the license will burn a business from the client to the server side.  The restrictions of it all!!

It's beyond comprehension to leave a loaded gun on your table for your enemy to come in anytime pick it up and shoot you.

Bring Microsoft in the house, and well, its the loaded gun.  Get it!?!

tags: lawsuits  software piracy  spa  microsoft  business risk assessment  linux  risk assessment  microsoft open source  license fees  business  

links: digg this    del.icio.us    technorati    reddit